Review: Electric Prunes Rock Northampton
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I have always considered the Electric Prunes the progenitors of punk and garage music and I stand by that conviction today.
After previous conversations about the future of the band with Lowe, we arranged for me to attend their concert on Friday, May 9, at the Pearl Street Night Club. I then coordinated a meeting with them at their sound check with Tulin. Thanks to his due diligence and staying in touch with me, we were able to meet prior to the concert to catch up in person.
I had no idea I was in for the night of my life attending a concert. I am accustomed to going backstage after a concert for a meet and greet, and that is the extent of it. This night was to be very special, one I would never forget, and a lesson in the history of rock 'n' roll and what it is like to be a rock star circa 1967 to present day.
Lowe and Tulin are rock royalty as far as I am concerned but they leave their egos at the door and treat you with respect as an individual. When I mentioned to Lowe that I felt they were legends, he laughed and shrugged it off, downplaying his importance.
As it turned out, they took me under their wing for the evening and I was able to learn more about them than I ever knew before, particularly Lowe, who had befriended me years ago when I wrote my first review for their comeback album "Artifact" in 2001.
As we were riding back to their hotel room in Chicopee so they could change prior to the show, we had some great conversation and many laughs. This band is the old guard and they showed me that nothing has gone to their heads regardless of their status and importance to the music industry.
They really treated me as if I was an old friend paying a visit. These two gents and their band were so real, intelligent, and just a joy to be around. I was not surprised, just refreshed and satisfied that they ended up being who I thought they were all along.
During the sound check, the first I was ever able to witness, Tulin took the time to explain how things worked in the past and in the present day. He explained that back in the day when the technology was in its infancy, they could never hear each other on stage; he would just see Lowe moving his lips and nothing else.
Today's musician has the distinct advantage of being able to hear everyone playing and they are able perform at a higher level and improvise more dramatically and efficiently.
As fate would deal its hand this evening ... the sound check settings were changed for the warm-up band and by the time they came on they could not hear a bloody thing on stage. Shades of '67! In addition to that, it was a sweatbox there for the band.
Lowe showed me his shirt after the show and it was as if he had thrown a bucket of water on it! Regardless of this adversity, the band performed brilliantly and the Marshall amps stacked on either side of the stage nearly blew our eardrums out, but it was sweet pain!
Pearl Street is not the most attractive venue but it served us well, with a capacity of around 200, and the Electric Prunes commenced to mesmerize us with their brand of psychedelic-rock-pop. They took us from the beginning to the present, up to the last three studio albums. Prior to 2001, the had been apart for 20 years.
I had the pleasure to meet the rest of the band as well. Jay Dean (guitar, vocals), Steve Kara (lead guitar, vocals) and Walter Garces (drums) are a great fit for Lowe and Tulin. I spoke to Garces, a wonderful man, and he told me that he had heard previous incarnations of the EP lineups and he felt this was the most potent and perfected lineup yet. Lowe agreed when I mentioned it later, so much so that we may even see a live release at some point.
I did notice during the sound check that Garces' drums where very powerful, John Bonham-like. I spoke to him and he told me when he was 9 years old he saw Carmine Appice on the "Ed Sullivan Show," playing with the Vanilla Fudge at the time. He called up Carmen, and asked for drum lessons, then eventually got them! This explained his dominating sound.
He would prove during the performance later that the sound check was no fluke — he was extremely impressive. Kara and Dean would prove their exceptional abilities during the performance as well, exchanging pinpoint licks with their six strings continually.
<L2>Tulin was hypnotized on stage; with his eyes closed, he got into a groove that was simply incredible. He plays the bass like a lead instrument, as Tony Levin would. Lowe has not lost a step either, he sounds great, plays the harmonica and theremin like the true professional he is, and is a magnetic and energized leader on stage. He had the place jumping all night.
I have to say their classic "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" was the highlight of evening. A few gents I was talking to throughout the performance were amazed at what they were witnessing.
They exclaimed, "I never expected them to be this good," and I had told them that is what they should expect prior to the show so they were not disappointed at all. Every song they performed was a musical revelation and there were all age groups there taking it in and loving every minute of it.
Besides it being a complete musical experience for me, Lowe asked me to take some footage of the performance with his video camera. I am an amateur when it comes to that but I did get some good shots of the band performing and captured the essence of the atmosphere, which was the whole point of documenting it for the band.
"Hell, we have it easy ...," said Lowe. "Sparks are doing 21 albums in 21 nights this summer ... can you imagine a live schedule like that! I love those guys.” (FYI: Lowe produced the first two Sparks records.)
They went to Rochester, N.Y., to finish their tour and then headed back to sunny California. Lowe and Tulin seem reborn now with their music and are very excited about playing live and possibly recording again.
Pumpkin/Strawberry/Prune Jam!
Tulin has been jamming in some late-night studio sessions with Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins and Mark Weitz, keyboardist for the Strawberry Alarm Clock. It might be interesting to see what this fruit compote reveals!
I have to thank the Electric Prunes for making this old rocker one happy person that night. This band will always have a place in my heart and I hold them in the highest esteem. There was not enough to dream Friday night, there never is, but I certainly lived out one my dreams with all the experiences and memories that came together within a few hours time. Dreams can come true, I have a blessed life, and this is yet one more thing to be grateful for thanks to music.
Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck of Adams offers up his best-listening bets as a regular contributor to iBerkshires. For more reviews, www.muzikreviews.com. Photos and video also by Hannleck.
